- Distractions: Kids, the doorbell, the 56” Smart TV, the new season of Money Heist.
- Comfort: Your bed, dining table or sofa may not be conducive to comfort/productivity.
- Work timings: Difficult to maintain work schedule, a tendency to overwork or slack off
- Motivation: Working alone can be demotivating, ask any lone startup founder
- Loneliness: Lack of social connection was one of the reasons why coworking started
- Communication: Coffee-station chats and ease of communication with peers is missed
- Technology: Unreliable Internet, access to proprietary systems or tools.
- Health: Stay at home can lead to sedentary lifestyle & impact health negatively
- Have a clear signal to show you’re busy. My wife has a door hanging sign that says “WIP” that tells us all - do not disturb.
- Prepare the day before for expected deliveries, a food menu and activities for the kids (especially since they’re homeschooling now)
- Plan some short breaks in your work to catch up with necessary distractions or unavoidable circumstances that come up.
- Create a home office with ergonomic desk/chair setup and natural light.
- Avoid sofa/bed working (posture) & dining tables (distractions).
- Managers worry about slacking off, when the real problem is overwork
- Maintain a schedule, put your tasks in your calendar and stick to it
- Take regular breaks and maintain a healthy work-home-balance
- Do the difficult tasks first, set realistic daily goals, schedule breaks too
- Connect with colleagues, arrange regular calls & keep each other going
- Measure how you spend your time, so you can celebrate success and improve on your weaknesses using a tool like www.rescuetime.com
- If you live with family/friends, carve out some family time during the workday. The break is refreshing, but stick to pre-determined timings
- If you live alone, make sure you are connecting with your friends and family over calls, video calls, technology can bring us closer
- Platforms like Slack, Whatsapp, Zoom and several others help us to connect with our colleagues, peers and loved ones easily.
- Exercise regularly, practise yoga and/or meditation
- If you’re struggling, get help from personal or professional networks